Isaiah 61:3 "to give unto them beauty for ashes…that He might be glorified."

Life is Full of Puzzles

June 14, 2019

Puzzles seem to have a huge appeal among seniors. No doubt, there are folks of all ages that enjoy puzzles but they do seem to be exceptionally popular among my senior friends. At the assisted living, there is always a puzzle in the works – its pieces laid out with care and by design – on the center table. Just this past Sunday, I asked a friend at church (she’s 90) what her plans were for the week and, with excitement, she said she had been given a new puzzle. Puzzles, for me, fall into the category with Sudoku. Much more frustrating than challenging. And certainly not relaxing. Nevertheless, whatever your age or your puzzle completion ability, one thing is true for anyone wanting to finish the puzzle. You have to have the front of the box.

The picture on the front of the box is your goal. The end result for which you are striving. It does not matter if you enjoy working your puzzle for short snippets of time or can pass hours at the table. It does not matter if you prefer to start with just the edges or pick one particular part of the picture to complete first. Or if the puzzle has 500 pieces or 5000 pieces…there has to be the goal. Without the box – and without the goal – the puzzle is nothing more than a pile of pieces. Pieces that make no sense and serve no purpose.

So it is we just about anything of value we hope to accomplish. Personal goals – physical and spiritual ones- and goals for relationships. Goals we have for ministry or for service. We can have good intentions – the best of intentions – and we can even take steps that seem to make small progress but without a genuine, well-envisioned goal, the pieces never really come together.

STOP – these are the beginnings of my thoughts on today’s FMF prompt: GOAL. Goals are helpful. They give us not only direction but also a purpose. Having a goal does not mean that the puzzle will fit together quickly or without effort but it does keep us focused. When tasks or undertakings seem overwhelming or perhaps even useless, look back at the front of the box. Remember the excitement when you began the puzzle. Then continue to “press toward the mark” – to the goal – one puzzle piece at a time.

8 thoughts on “Life is Full of Puzzles”

I enjoyed reading your thoughts here, Jennifer! It definitely helps to know what we’re aiming for, and I particularly appreciated this line: “Having a goal does not mean that the puzzle will fit together quickly or without effort but it does keep us focused.” Hope you have a great weekend!

The pieces do not seem to fit;
here’s one, its edges jagged.
But striving to make sense of it,
my breathing now comes ragged.
There was a picture on the box,
the one my heart invented,
but opening, I was at a loss;
’twas not was represented.
The man I thought would take his place
in the upward flow of living
now bends his words into a grace,
the only thing worth giving.
In the box was cancer’s trope,
but there God also placed His Hope.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this post. I enjoyed your point about whether the pieces are 500 or 5,000 we need a goal to work towards. And it doesn’t matter whether you put the edges together first, or start in the middle. The important thing is to have a goal you are striving toward and the plan to reach that goal. Have a great weekend!

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Welcome to My Blog…I’m Glad You Stopped By

Hi! I'm Jennifer and I am glad you found your way to my blog. I am a wife, mom to two adult children and, as well, a mom forever marked by grief. You can read a bit of our youngest son's story at the page above: "Could It Be Any Worse?" My desire is to live each day with purpose... in whatever stage of life. My prayer is this blog will encourage other women to do so as well.

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